Unadulterated and unabashed fun—that is what comes to mind while playing Earth Defense Force 2017.

Developed by Japanese developer Sandlot and published by D3 Publisher, Earth Defense Force 2017 was released for the United States on March 20, 2007. An updated version of EDF 2017 was released for the PlayStation Vita on Jan. 8.

Earth has been invaded by aliens known as Ravagers, and they are taking over the planet continent by continent. The Earth Defense Force has been assigned the task to put an end to this dreadful invasion. The story is cheesy, lacking and fun. You’re not playing EDF 2017 for the narrative.

EDF 2017 is a third-person shooter and you play as an EDF soldier, but you are not alone. Throughout the campaign you fight alongside several of your EDF comrades. You don’t have a name or a face; in fact, there is no character development at all.

The Ravagers came to Earth in a giant mother ship, and your goal throughout the game is to destroy it. Now, the Ravagers aren’t your typical big-headed green aliens. They are giant ants, spiders, robots and flying machines. Does that sound ridiculous? Well, it is. Ridiculousness is part of the charm that EDF 2017 incorporates so well.

EDF 2017 boasts more than 50 missions that can range from five to 10 minutes in length. All in all, the game can be completed in about seven to eight hours.

Visuals:

EDF 2017 does not look great. In fact, at times the game looks bad. Textures are lacking and character models have been copied and pasted over and over. However, this doesn’t really affect the gameplay. You’re not playing EDF 2017 to be blown away by visuals.

The visuals are easy to forgive considering the vast and seemingly endless cities you fight through. Because there are so many enemies on the screen at once, it’s understandable that the visual element was lost during development.

There are slight frame rate issues during moments of intense combat; these instances are more pronounced whilst playing cooperatively, but they are few and far between.

Audio:

The audio in EDF 2017 is weak—weapons really don’t sound that great. Probably my biggest gripe with this game is the voiceovers throughout. I can’t tell you how many times EDF soldiers would shout something along the lines of, “We’re being overrun! We need backup!” Only to hear their commander shout back, “We’re having trouble hearing you, please repeat.” This can happen upwards of three times in a row, and it’s very frustrating. I’m not sure if the developers were trying to be humorous, or if it was just bad localization.

When it comes down to it, you don’t really notice how weak your rifle sounds when dozens of giant red ants are barreling toward your position.

Also, some of the soldiers’ remarks are senseless, but very funny. “Do you like death? Then die!” or when EDF soldiers chant “EDF” at the end of a huge battle. The comments are weak, but they will put a smile on your face most of the time.

Gameplay:

Big-time developers need to take notice of much gameplay can affect the quality of a game. The visuals and audio in Earth Defense Force 2017 are poor, but the gameplay is something I’ve never experienced before, and that is the saving grace of EDF 2017.

EDF 2017 is chaotic and mindless; there will be hordes of giant creatures chasing you all over cities. Giant robots will block out the sky as you try to find their weak points whilst fighting off giant spiders.

EDF 2017 has an arcade feel to it. It’s an easy game to jump in and out of. EDF 2017 has more than 100 weapons at your disposal. One catch is that you need to find these weapons. When you kill enemies, they will drop armor, health and weapons. It’s a lot of fun to collect weapon boxes to see what new guns you’ve unlocked for the next mission. You can hold up to two weapons at a time; they range from rifles, to flamethrowers, all the way to missile launchers.

The maps are huge, which adds to the insanity that is EDF 2017. You can destroy almost everything in this game. One stray shot from a rocket launcher will take out a skyscraper, and this will happen often. It is so much for to blast away an entire apartment complex that is crawling with giant ants.

There are vehicles at your disposal, including tanks to helicopters. The vehicles are challenging to control, but they can change the tide of battle.

Each mission is very similar; you have to wipe the map clear of all enemies. Most missions are fairly easy, although some have a seemingly unfair difficulty spike, though it’s nothing that can’t be accomplished.

You can play through the entire game with a second person sharing the screen. EDF 2017 does not have any respawn system, which can be a bummer if your buddy dies halfway through a mission. The game is immensely more fun when playing with a friend. Who wants to fight off giant bugs alone? It’s too bad that there is no support for Xbox Live.

Round Up:

Earth Defense Force 2017 is a ridiculous “leave your brain at the door,” bug-shooting, robot-destroying, and city-leveling romp. The visuals are lacking, along with the audio. But the gameplay in EDF 2017 is astounding. While playing alone is fun, playing with a friend multiplies the excitement. This is a game you need to play, unless giant bugs gross you out.

Trailer: